Case Number 06470

Bambi: Platinum Edition

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All Rise...

Judge David Johnson "fauns" over Disney's deer opus.

Editor's Note

Our review of Bambi (Blu-Ray),
published February 28th, 2011, is also available.

The Charge

Bambi's a dude?!

Opening Statement

Before the name "Bambi" became synonymous with large-breasted
blonde bimbos, it was the title of an animated movie about a young deer. Disney
has finally released its pop culture masterpiece on DVD, and the special
two-disc set is a crowd-pleaser.

Facts of the Case

As far as plots go, Bambi's is one of the more minimalist you'll find.
While it's often hailed as a coming-of-age story, I found the narrative to be
almost a slice-of-life glimpse into the happenings of the untamed woods.

Our story opens with gaggles of woodland creatures heralding the birth of a
brand-new prince of the forest. Chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, birds, and the
like prance over to the baby and his proud mom; it's the almost nauseatingly
cute Bambi! Looking over the proceedings is the oldest and wisest member of the
woods (trees excluded, I presume), a majestic stag, who happens to be Bambi's
father.

As the movie rolls on, we see Bambi growing and learning the ropes of the
woods (e.g., make sure the meadow is clear of bloodthirsty humans before
frolicking). Bambi and his friends Thumper the rabbit and Flower the skunk enjoy
the delights that winter brings (ice sliding) and the wet and wild weather
spring ushers in (April thundershowers).

Fun, yes? Well, sorry kiddo, this is Bambi, forever stamped in the
public consciousness as caretaker of one the more traumatizing scenes in cinema:
the inexplicit death of Bambi's mom by a hunter's hand (BLAMbi?).
So now Bambi and his stud dad reunite. Skipping the "coming" portion
and going directly to "of age," Bambi returns to the forest, grown up,
sporting some sweet antlers, and stricken with a mean case of deer-on-deer
heat.

But forming a healthy relationship with a female deer will prove to be one
of the lesser challenges of Bambi's young adult life, when the forest is
suddenly threatened and he finds himself facing off once more against his
bipedal, gun-toting archnemeses.

The Evidence

For me, the allure of Bambi is not its story. If anything,
Bambi laid the groundwork for the much better coming-of-age tale that was
The Lion King. The reason Bambi
is a masterpiece is its execution.This is an animated film of stunning artistic
merit and sweeping—if a bit dated—music. I was consistently
impressed not with the hard-hitting storylines of Bambi learning to walk on ice
or cowering in a thunderstorm, but with the amazing landscapes, the vivid
detail, and the obvious manpower that went into creating these seventy minutes
of forest intrigue.

Bambi is, of course, old school. The animators employed drawing
tactics that elevate nearly every moment of the film to frame-worthy pieces of
art suitable for a museum display. In the featurette about remastering the film,
the animators leaf through some of the prints and remark on the inspiring talent
found there. For example, look at the illustrations of the meadow. Drawn and
painted in an Impressionist style, the grass swirls and blends with itself into
a rolling green hue. Or take the opening sequence, where the camera pans through
the woods, effectively creating the feeling of 3D through the use of some novel
filming tricks. Bolstering these visuals is the orchestral score, which has been
made to match the actions on screen, from the dramatic (the herd of deer
bounding through the grass) to the intimate (Bambi taking his first steps). The
power of the film's execution, I believe, owes to the combination of the music
and the animation. Bambi is a symphony of superb art and music.

Bambi is more a painting than a story, and when the thematic elements
do make an appearance (mom's mortality being the most renowned of these) they
pack that much more of a punch. There is no major conflict until the last ten
minutes of the film; the previous hour is solely a portrait of the woods. In
fact, what I felt to be the most potentially interesting piece of
story—Bambi's time with his father—was completely glossed over. One
moment the little motherless deer is walking off with his dad, the next he's
back, half a hoof into adulthood. (Apparently, the upcoming sequel will
scrutinize this lost part of the young deer's life.) The thematic elements
definitely make this a Romantic's movie. The purity of the woods, the
transcendental goodness that can be found among the animals and their
interactions, the ravaging impact that humanity can have on this pristine
wilderness—Wordsworth and the boys would be proud, not to mention your
garden-variety eco-wackos.

This two-disc set from Disney is fantastic. The job the studio did on the
transfer is superb, especially when it's compared to the look of the original,
decaying prints. The colors are vibrant, from top to bottom: bright, green
foliage, great water effects, woodland creatures that leap off the screen. The
film is presented in its original 1.33:1 fullscreen aspect ratio. Sound has been
remixed into a 5.1 Dolby Digital mix, which, for this movie, is a necessity. The
monaural sound would have been too shallow to encompass all the ambiance of the
woods.

The bonus materials are copious and interesting. The coolest feature is the
reenactment of Walt Disney's story meetings, which had been transcribed during
the original filmmaking process. These dramatic readings are overlaid on top of
the movie, so from Walt and company's own words you can learn how the film's
ideas came about. Great, revealing stuff. The runner-up is an exhaustive
behind-the-scenes documentary, which looks at the art, music, voice talent, and
history of the film. Interviews with original filmmakers, as well as current
Disney folks, bolster the loads of archival footage.

Here are the rest of the extras:

• A detailed look at the painstaking process of restoring the
film • Deleted scenes • Eight interactive
games • Disneypedia: Bambi's forest friends
• Virtual forest • Disney storytime: "Thumper
Goes Exploring" • A sneak peek at the new Bambi movie • Disney Time Capsule: 1942, The Year of Bambi
• "The Art of Bambi" • "Tricks
of the Trade": archival footage • Inside the Disney
archives • "The Old Mill" animated short
• Original theatrical trailer

That's a lot of Bambi bang for your buck!

The Rebuttal Witnesses

A few things I learned from Bambi:

1. Hunters aggressively target chipmunks. 2. Some forests have
kerosene-coated trees. 3. It's good to be the deer with the biggest
antlers. 4. When hunters camp they don't use fire pits, opting instead to
set free-range blazes. 5. Forest animals are horny as all get-out.

Closing Statement

Disney has treated its forest saga with incredible respect. The film looks
better than it ever has, the score spreads its wings in an all-new mix, and the
extras are extensive, original, and very well done. Plus, Patrick Stewart is
your virtual Bambi guide! An excellent release.